Thailand News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, and lifestyle—get breaking updates from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. Stay informed on Thai society, economy, tourism, and expat life with The Thaiger.
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Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Thailand drops to #74 out of 100 countries rated for English language skills
PHOTO: Study International For the third year in a row, Thailand’s ranking on the English Proficiency Index has dropped and the country now ranks 74th out of a total of 100 countries. Thai PBS World reports that the index was prepared by Education First (EF), a Swiss organisation specialising in language training and educational travel. The company reports that in…
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Thai road death toll tops 12,000 in 2019
PHOTO: Motorcyclist skittled by pick-up and killed in Ranong this week – Daily News Thai media report 12,304 people have been registered as dying at accident scenes in Thailand so far this year. Academics caution that this figure only relates to those who die at the scene, and the actual death toll is far higher when when all all data…
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UPDATE: American fugitive dead after shooting himself before arrest
PHOTO MONTAGE: Thai Visa Correction: Earlier report said that the American fugitive shot himself, then his wife. The Thai partner is in police custody but was not shot. The American fugitive, who shot himself just moments before being arrested by police in Sa Kaeo Province, is dead. American Bart Allen Helmus had been on the run since Monday after escaping…
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Airbnb shares research and best practices for Thailand’s short-term rental industry
Yesterday The Thaiger published a story about Airbnb, supplied through The Nation, that contained a number of inaccuracies. We now publish the entire original media release from Airbnb… Airbnb has today released its proposed regulatory principles for short-term accommodation which would support the Thai Government’s objectives of making Thailand the premier tourist destination in Asia and one of the top…
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Strong Thai baht helps Central Group invest overseas
PHOTO: CEO of Central Group, Tos Chirathivat, taking advantage of the strong Thai baht – The Nation Whilst the strong baht is a concern for exporters and foreign tourists visiting Thailand, many Thai businesses are reaping the currency advantage and investing overseas with their strong baht. Tos Chirathivat, CEO of Central Group, has confirmed that the family-owned conglomerate is investing…
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Foreign investment applications rise 69% in first nine months
PHOTO: Bloomberg Thailand continues attracting foreign direct investment, with applications rising 69% in the first nine months of 2019, according the Board of Investment (BOI). Applications in the electronics and electrical sector, and the digital and automotive sectors, represented 131.78 billion baht, or 65% of the total. The value of applications, up to September this year, was 203.37 billion baht,…
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Former hotel employee uses stolen data for online shopping binge
PHOTO: INN News Police have arrested a man for using stolen credit card information for an online shopping spree, with a final bill of over 500,000 baht. 35 year old Jirat Siriwattanakul used to work at hotels in Chiang Mai and Phetchaburi Provinces before getting into online shopping, with other people’s money. Jirat is charged with impersonation and using another…
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American firms want to relocate to Thailand to counter US-China trade war
PHOTO: “You’re all welcome!” – Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha at the ASEAN Business Summit – Bangkok Post US business leaders visiting Thailand are looking for opportunities, especially relocating their production bases, as they try to sort out heir businesses in the wake of the US-China trade war. The US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and executives of 16 American companies…
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Up to 30,000 caught up in “Forex- 3D” Ponzi scheme
PHOTO: INN News The Thai justice ministry has revealed that one hundred victims were preparing to press the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) to consider the “Forex-3D” Ponzi scam case as one with ‘special status’. Read the background to the story HERE. There are thought to be up to 30,000 victims of the scheme was offering 10% interest per month to investors,…
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Chonburi manufacturers suspend operations, workers laid off
PHOTO: Nippon Steel Steel Processing Company storage yard and port facilities Thailand’s division of the Nippon Steel Steel Processing Company, in Rayong province, says they will suspend operations, temporarily, starting November 9, citing a steady drop in steel sales. Japan’s local affiliate Nippon Steel, says that, if all its employees work full-time, the company’s output of steel will far exceed…
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Thai transport minister backs down over mandatory GPS in private cars and motorbikes
Thailand’s Ministry of Transport is backing down over plans for all private cars and motorcycles to be equipped with GPS devices. He now says that the issue needs “further study on real-time connectivity” with the database of the Land Transport Department and will measure the cost of that connectivity. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob says, initially, the installation of GPS systems…
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Forex-3D Ponzi scheme dupes thousands
PHOTOS: MThai At least 1,000 people have fallen for the ‘Forex-3D’ Ponzi scheme, with losses currently estimated at 10 billion baht. Victims and their lawyers have already filed reports with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). Dozens showed up in front of the DSI HQ with posters showing the faces of people allegedly connected to the scheme. Victims have asked…
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Anti fake news website is now live
The Anti-Fake News Centre, created by the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, opened last Friday and is now available to access online. The government says the centre will target fake news that might have an impact on the public and public assets, using examples of news about epidemics, disasters, the environment and the economy, and news that could create social…
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PM signals more stimulus packages to lift Thai economy
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says Thailand needs more measures to boost the local economy. He made the remark during the meeting of the Council of the Economic Ministers on Friday. The PM reassured the meeting that Thailand’s and other ASEAN economies were not in recession, but would have slower growth next year, so Thailand needs to come up with stimulus measures.…
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Thailand’s internet economy to hit 50 billion dollars by 2025
Google and Singaporean investment firm Temasek launched a research program into the internet economies of Southeast Asia In 2016 and continue tracking economies in the region. Their “E-Conomy SEA 2019” report shows that Southeast Asia’s internet economy reached 100 billion dollars for the first time this year, with 360 million people now linked to cyberspace – 100 million more than…
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New land tax forces land owners to evaluate their options
PHOTO: SCMP The new Land and Property Tax, which takes effect in January 2020, will be a challenge for the Thai property market, according to the managing Director of CBRE Thailand. In an open report to the media, CBRE says owners of vacant sites will pay significant taxes once the new law comes into effect. Many will try to avoid the…
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Ministry considering third round of the Chim Shop Chai stimulus packages
Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak is praising the Chim Shop Chai (Eat Shop Spend) scheme and has told the Finance Ministry to consider launching a third round before the end of the year. In a policy speech, he defended the scheme, saying it’s neither wasteful nor a populist policy, fending off accusations by critics. He insists the program has been successful in…
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Thai Immigration Chief warns law-breaking foreigners “this is just the start”
PHOTOS: Naew Na The chief of Thai Immigration, Lieutenant General Sompong Chingduang, also known as ‘Big Oud’ (because the head of Immigration has to have a nickname starting with ‘big’ apparently), is warning foreigners breaking the law in the country that the latest crackdown “is just the beginning”. ThaiVisa reports that the immigration chief made his announcement at Immigration HQ…
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DSI takes over 400 million baht ‘Mae Manee’ Ponzi scheme investigation
Police are hunting for a woman suspected to be at the head of a huge pyramid scheme that has allegedly scammed hundreds of people. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin has handed a case, where at least 2000 victims were allegedly cheated out of more than 430 million baht, over to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). The ”Mae Manee pyramid scheme”…
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PM takes full responsibility for Phichit’s Chatree gold mine decision
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha told the cabinet that he accepts sole responsibility and consequences for his decision to close down the Chatree gold mine in central Phichit province about three years ago. Phichit is located in central Thailand. A cabinet source says the Industry Ministry briefed the cabinet on the arbitration process launched by Australian Kingsgate Consolidated, the parent company of…
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HM The King fires palace bedroom staff over “violence and adultery”
PHOTO: Royal Palace Household According to an official notice from the Thai Royal Household yesterday, Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has dismissed two more palace officials for committing “adultery and unspecified violent conduct.” There were two other sackings announced in yesterday’s statement from the Thai palace. The action adds four more palace officials to a series of high profile public dismissals…
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The world scrambles to attract Chinese travellers
PHOTO: pri.org Spending US$277 billion worldwide last year, Chinese travellers are the world’s top tourism spenders, by a long margin. Now the global travel industry is scrambling to capture its slice of the lucrative ‘bamboo dollar’, and falling out of Chinese travellers’ favour can have a dramatic impact on tourism figures. For example, Phuket has suffered as a result of…
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Thailand has 6 months to discuss GSP with US
PHOTO: TNA Thai authorities still have six months to discuss the US decision to suspend tariff exemptions for Thai exports under its Generalised System of Preferences, according to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The PM says the US has suspended GSP privileges not only for Thailand but other countries too. Thailand has enjoyed GSP privileges for nine years and Washington might think…
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120 Future Forward members quit the party
PHOTO: Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit – Khaosod One hundred and twenty members of the Future Forward Party, some of them former election candidates, have resigned, claiming that the party’s leaders have failed to keep their promises. Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit confirmed their decisions, saying it was their right and admitted that the party had made mistakes. Phuket News reports that…
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The lights are on, but there’s no-one home: villagers report empty police station in central Thailand
Villagers in Pathumthani province, central Thailand, have lodged complaints about a local police station claiming it was unmanned at night when they went to file a report. Thai Residents reports that local residents who went to Klong Luang police station were left waiting so long for someone to return that they ended up sleeping at the station. It was also…
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Visa fee waiver extended
Thailand’s Cabinet has approved a 6 month extension of the Visa on Arrival fee waiver for visitors, designed to generate more tourism spending in Thailand. A deputy government spokesperson said yesterday (October 28) that the Cabinet has in principle approved the draft fee waiver extension for six months beyond the initial expiry date to April 30 2020. Under the campaign,…
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Commerce Ministry will appeal US GSP decision
Thailand will ask the United States to reconsider removal of trade preferences for Thai exports under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), according to the Ministry of Commerce. In the past, whenever trade benefits for Thai products exported to the US were suspended, Thailand has appealed to the US, according to the commerce minister, who added that it is ultimately…
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Thai exports will suffer from Trump labour rights decision
The Thai export sector will suffer another blow after the US President Donald Trump announced on Friday the suspension of 1.3 billion dollars worth of duty-free trade for certain Thai goods, claiming Thailand has not taken steps to protect the labor rights. In a letter to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, Trump said…
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Thai government to slap CO2 tax on ‘big bikes’
PHOTO: bigbiketours.com The Thai Excise Department is poised to boost the tax on “big bikes” by 100,000 baht starting at the beginning of next year. The new tax will reflect motorcycle CO2 emissions. The director of the department’s Bureau of Tax Planning, Nutthakorn Utensute, says the Cabinet will adjust the tax increase for high-powered motorcycles based on their CO2 emissions,…
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Tiger Temple will adopt cats and dogs
Authorities in Kanchanaburi have begun building facilities at the infamous Tiger Temple in Sai Yok district to care for about 1,200 stray dogs and cats from a foundation run by a former Bangkok governor. Kanchanaburi’s governor was among those participating in a ceremony to mark the start of construction on Saturday. The temple, formally known as Wat Pa Luang Ta…
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